Back in the Swing of Things

Everyone was so excited to be back in the classroom-teachers included- and the kids were able to jump right back into our routine. Our first week back was quite a cold one, so we had to get creative indoors during our morning playground time. It was clear that the kids missed their teachers so much while they were away that they actually wanted to be them. They decided that they would conduct the yoga lesson as teachers while all of the 'grown-up' teachers followed along as students. They also realized that, as teachers, they must be able to set a good example for their students. If they were not helping to clean up our classroom or being a good friend, they must not be ready to be a teacher yet!

The puppet show theater got a lot of action during literacy and freeplay on Monday. The kids made tickets for the show and got chairs for the audience ready. There was so much enthusiasm that we made this puppet show a more formal event. During our meeting the next day, we decided who was going to be a puppeteer, who was going to hand out the tickets, who was going to be a snack vendor, and someone thought we should have a clown performing before the show starts, too. We made a puppet show sign for the schedule and worked hard to prepare for the show all day. Everyone did his or her job and the show went smoothly. The treats from the vendors may have been the highlight of the event.

Rest-time has become a new adventure since the kids have been motivated to turn their mats into forts. At the end of rest, we have been setting aside 10 or so minutes for them to work together and be resourceful in order to create their mini rest mat homes. Their interactions were incredible as they successfully constructed their forts. Everyone worked together in a very positive way, and there was even opportunity for some conflict resolution (with out the need for help from a teacher).

Once the temperature was reasonable enough to visit the playground, the kids noticed the ice build-up on their playground toys. They chose to collect pieces of ice and put them in an orange cone, and then brought them into the classroom. We made a hypothesis about how the ice might change inside--"it will melt!", and why this might happen--"because it's warmer inside". They also remembered from our previous ice experiments that, if we put it in a pot over a burner, it will melt faster because a burner produces more heat. They also stated that, if we put the ice under the sun, it would melt even faster. This discussion lead to the idea that, if we put a log under the sun, it would also melt. I explained that different materials produce different reactions with heat, but this concept could be easier to understand with some fun (and safe!) science experiments in the classroom.

One of the stories we read this week was "The Moon Man", which was a huge hit-- we actually read it twice. This book introduces how the moon has different phases, changing its size due to the Earth's shadow. I will demonstrate this process next week in order to explain how and why this happens. "The Moon Man" also introduced many new vocabulary words, and the kids were eager to learn what they mean. They learned words such as committee, invader, furious and bore. The kids recognized that 'bore' is the root word for 'boring', and they actually defined it on their own. We also learned the difference between a sphere, like the moon, and a circle, like a cookie.

During our morning meetings, we started to learn some letter buddies and continued to construct double-digit numbers using the numbers 0-9. This comes easily to the kids, so I may have to kick it up a notch. They have asked if "tendy-ten" is really a number, so maybe we will enter the realm of the high double-digits, or even triple-digits.

By the end of the week, the creative juices were really flowing. The children were painting with toothbrushes, choosing to mix paint colors in order to make the colors they needed, and started to construct a robot using open-ended materials. The children also made some great drawings and cards for Anna after we read the letter she wrote to the class. They understood that Anna has to go to school, just as they do, and that their other teachers are not going to leave them. They remembered that I have to go to school, too, but I am going to my school at night. They wondered who was going to be their new teacher, so we explained that Chris is our new teacher and he is going to hang out with us every day. They are adjusting to the change really well and are having a lot of fun with Chris.

We had some new snow on the ground later in the week. The kids made snow angels, viewed snowflakes through a magnifying class, stuck snow to the brick wall outside, and made hand and foot prints-- just like in "The Snowy Day", which we read on the day of the snowfall. Everyone has been great with sending in gloves, hats and scarves. Next week will be another cold one! Stay warm, and I will see you on Monday.

Amanda